I'm doing the Warner Lake to Tyax ride in a few weeks and am wondering about tire choice. I'm on a 150mm travel 29er and currently ride a DHF 2.5 WT in Exo (front) and an Aggressor 2.5 WT in Double Down (rear). I haven't been to the Chilcotins before and suspect my current setup might be heavy / overkill / make me work harder than I should for this 45km ride. Internal rim width is 30mm. Thoughts / suggestions from those who've done this ride much appreciated.
I’d think the tire combo is pretty bang on! Although there are better tires in really dusty conditions than the Aggressor, it’s a great choice still. It rolls alright and with the DD casing you should have decent flat protection.
I run the same tire combo on my 29er and recently replaced the worn Aggressor with a DHR II. And while it offers LOADS more grip, it also rolls quite a bit worse.
I haven’t done the hole 45km trip, just explored a bit (by bike) with JBV around the Tyax area.
Three things would be paramount for me:
1. Take it easy - if you crash out there, you are far away from any help.
2. Make sure that your bike is in really good shape, put enough (lots) sealant in your tires, don’t skimp on brakepads ;).
3. Enjoy the scenery - I found my time out there to be less about the trail or the bike. The colors, rocks and plants, all the intense sounds and the weather will blow your mind.
The time I spent out there was absolutely intense, it’ll be a precious memory! Thanks again to JBV for making it possible!
Posted by: Znarf
I’d think the tire combo is pretty bang on! Although there are better tires in really dusty conditions than the Aggressor, it’s a great choice still. It rolls alright and with the DD casing you should have decent flat protection.
I run the same tire combo on my 29er and recently replaced the worn Aggressor with a DHR II. And while it offers LOADS more grip, it also rolls quite a bit worse.
I am running the aggressor WT on my rear and I find that it has plenty of grip in the dry but once there is a bit of mud the grip just goes out the window. Great summer tire for me but will be replacing with the DHR2 in the Fall once the rain comes back.
Also look at the Conti Trail Kings...great tires!
I think you'll be fine. I did that same ride last year with Tyax running 27.5x2.4 HRII EXO single compound tubeless front and rear on 30mm id rims, they were stock tires on a new bike that I've since replaced with a 2.5WT DHF MaxxGrip and 2.4WT DHR II MaxxTera. I had no problems with grip, the terrain is pretty mellow other than a couple scree slope crossings and punchy climbs. As Znarf said, it's more about the views, terrain and experience than anything gnarly (at least Warner/Gun Creek and Taylor Creek/High Trail which were our two days up there). Warner/Gun is not a hard day if you are even remotely fit, and if you are a strong descender you'll be mostly resting on those parts and enjoying the views as well as taking breaks if being guided by Tyax. My Strava shows 45km/887m climbing/3h52m moving time almost all descending. I'm a Monday-Friday office guy with a beer gut and had a blast on this ride.
I put in a bit of extra sealant and maybe 2psi more than normal on my rear (standard PSI front) for extra flat protection and was somewhat careful to not smash through sharp looking rocks where I could avoid it given the EXO casing. I weigh 215lbs so I am not a light guy by any means. That said I definitely didn't baby the bike and had zero issues. It's mostly dirt single track. Obviously carry levers/tube/pump/plugs/whatever.
Enjoy!
I rode more than 30 days last year in the chilcotins on 2.3 DHF front and 2.3 minion SS rear set up tubeless on a rootdown. Money combo.
Warner - Spruce has loads of rocks and a bunch of bench cut through scree and boulder, so having a beefier tire is preventative wishful thinking.
Depending on your route from spruce to tyaughton (I assume windy or camel) you will be on singletrack, but the descents will be flowy, rocky, variable. The DHF is great for the descents. If you were doing Spruce to Tyax via gun meadows then yes, that combo is overkill, but the climbing is pretty limited and they are short and punchy.
If you are going Warner-Gun Meadows and your party is in reasonable shape, you are going to find yourself covering distance at a good pace. The hardest part of the day is Warner- Spruce.
PLUS ALL THE RIDING ON THE DRIVE UP THERE AND BACK!
Thanks for the comments! I'm going to stick with my 2.5 DHF EXO and 2.5 Aggressor DD combo, add a bit of tire pressure and extra sealant and resolve to suffer on the climb back up to the lodge at the end of the ride. Sounds like it will be mostly downhill until the big grind back up to the lodge at the end of the day.
what skidrc said, and also, while there are definitely buff sections of singletrack, there's actually a lot of very rough and rocky wilderness trail and terrain that will eat lightweight tires. the smallest I typical go are 2.3 dhf, but have run larger and wasn't upset about it.
biggest thing imo, make sure the bikes are all well tuned with lots of brake pads, bring more food and water and spare jersey/jacket/gloves thank you think. make sure people don't ride like goons as you're VERY far away from anything and it takes a lot longer than you think to get places. And, no freeriding scree or off-trail riding while in the park....that and make a shit ton of noise so you don't startle any bears!
have a blast, it's amazing up there
When we went up there and did the big epic days, we made sure to carry a spare of almost everything. If your group is big enough, you can spread the load around. Of course this was easier when everyone was on the same size tires, but taking a spare tire isnt a bad idea. Fibre fix spoke and tire boots are also a must in my opinion. Have fun up there!
Spot on advice for riding in the Chicotins.
Of course, if instead you're riding in the Chilcotins you're in trouble.
Posted by: Bushpilot
Thanks for the comments! I'm going to stick with my 2.5 DHF EXO and 2.5 Aggressor DD combo, add a bit of tire pressure and extra sealant and resolve to suffer on the climb back up to the lodge at the end of the ride. Sounds like it will be mostly downhill until the big grind back up to the lodge at the end of the day.
Are you guys going with Tyax or just getting a float plane drop? If you go with Tyax they shuttle you back to the lodge at the end of Gun creek if you want... we took it, lazy/spoiled city slickers wanting to get back to apres sooner :).
gun creek rd back to lodge crushes so many souls, lol
Posted by: grambo
Posted by: Bushpilot
Thanks for the comments! I'm going to stick with my 2.5 DHF EXO and 2.5 Aggressor DD combo, add a bit of tire pressure and extra sealant and resolve to suffer on the climb back up to the lodge at the end of the ride. Sounds like it will be mostly downhill until the big grind back up to the lodge at the end of the day.
Are you guys going with Tyax or just getting a float plane drop? If you go with Tyax they shuttle you back to the lodge at the end of Gun creek if you want... we took it, lazy/spoiled city slickers wanting to get back to apres sooner :).
We're getting the float plan drop at Warner and our ride is unsupported / self-guided so we'll have to grind up the road at the end. We may just leave a couple trucks at the bottom of the road the night before if there's space to park so we can avoid the slog. Anyone know if / where we can leave our trucks so we can self-shuttle back to the lodge?
Nobby Nic 2.35 snake skin
but I take it you guys don't try to clean Windy Pass or Camel Pass
Posted by: taprider
Nobby Nic 2.35 snake skin
but I take it you guys don't try to clean Windy Pass or Camel Pass
wrong
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